Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Did You Know?
According to a Survey of Boaters by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies... I Can't Believe I Did That! Boaters 'Fess Up to Mistakes: Launching That Sinking Feeling More than a quarter of all boaters surveyed (26 percent) admit that, when launching their boat, they've forgotten to put in the bottom plug and their boat started to sink. Slippery When Wet Twelve percent of boaters say they've slid into the water because they didn't realize how slippery the launch ramp was. Missed it by That Much! Ten percent of boaters say when backing their trailer onto the ramp, they've backed up too far and caused their tire trailers to fall off the end of the ramp. People with fishing boats were more likely to make this mistake than people with pleasure boats (12 percent versus 9 percent, respectively). Cast Off Comedy Ten percent of all boaters surveyed admit they've forgotten to disconnect their boat from its trailer, but people with fishing boats were more likely than pleasure boaters to make this mistake (13 percent versus 8 percent). Mistakes: Putting Boat Back on Trailer Let's Get Things Straight About a third of boaters (31 percent) say when taking their boat out of the water, they've put their boat on its trailer lopsided or missed the trailer completely. Like Fingernails on a Blackboard Fourteen percent of boaters admit that, when pulling their boat out of the water, they've left the engine in the down position and dragged it across the ramp. With Friends Like This, Who Needs Enemies? It doesn't happen often, but when it does, ouch! One percent of boaters admit they weren't paying attention when driving their trailer out of the water and they ran over someone's foot. Mistakes: Trailering Back Off! Seventeen percent of boaters say they've trailered their boat without first making sure the trailer's lights were working properly. Connection Disconnect Pleasure boaters were more likely than people with fishing boats to say they've failed to secure their boat to its trailer before taking off (5 percent versus 3 percent). You Didn't Need Those Cushions/Towels/Bumpers/Lines/Folding Chairs/Umbrellas/(Insert Your Stuff Here) Anyway, Did You? Thirteen percent of boaters admit they've forgotten to secure their boat's contents before driving away. Mistakes: Docking Docking Is My Strong Suit When shown a list of eight possible mistakes boaters make while docking, almost three quarters of boaters (72 percent) said they hadn't made any of the mistakes. Of those who made mistakes, 9 percent approached the dock too fast causing them to hit it and damage their boat; 7 percent jumped off their boat intending to land on the dock but fell in the water instead; and 7 percent injured their hands attempting to fend the boat away from the dock. Ahoy, Matey! Pleasure boaters were 43 percent more likely than people with fishing boats to say they've approached the dock too fast, hit it and damaged their boat (10 percent versus 7 percent). Mistakes: At the Helm Captain, My Captain The most common mistakes boaters make while at the helm of their boat are running aground and getting a line caught in the propeller (both 15 percent). Twelve percent of captains admit not being able to restart their motor because they accidentally left the kill switch on. Thank You ... From the Bottom of My Boat With 15 percent of boaters running aground, it's no wonder the biggest percentage of boaters surveyed (35 percent) say a depth finder is the most useful item they've ever purchased for their boat. The second biggest vote-getter for most useful item is a Global Positioning System (16 percent). Better Hold On! Ten percent of boaters say they've hit the throttle too fast without first telling passengers, but pleasure boaters were more than twice as likely to do this as people with fishing boats (13 percent versus 6 percent). Stormy Weather Twenty-two percent of boaters say they've underestimated the severity of an approaching storm. Ten percent say they've left the dock without first checking the weather forecast. Misadventures at Sea Getting Burned Almost half of boaters surveyed (40 percent) say they've suffered a bad sunburn while on their boat. Marooned Mariners About a third (31 percent) of boaters say they've gotten stranded due to a mechanical breakdown. This is more likely to happen to pleasure boaters than it is to people with fishing boats (36 percent versus 25 percent). More Pain for the Pleasure Nine percent of pleasure boaters confess to receiving a violation or warning, versus 5 percent of people with fishing boats. Gas Pains Fifteen percent of boaters say they've overflowed the gas tank while fueling, and 11 percent say they've run out of fuel while on the water. Anchors Aweigh! Seven percent of boaters admit they've dropped their anchor without first securing the anchor to the boat. Two percent of boaters say they've dropped an anchor on their foot. Item Overboard! The most common items boaters say they've lost overboard are hats (52 percent); sunglasses (46 percent); fishing gear (39 percent); and towels (23 percent). When asked to provide write-in answers of items lost overboard, one boater said a hearing aid, while another said teeth! Mars, Venus and Relationships The Ties That Bind Male boaters were twice as likely as female boaters to forget to tie a line to the bow of the boat, causing the boat to drift away (12 percent versus 6 percent). Keep Your Head Above Water Men are twice as likely as women to say they did not have enough personal flotation devices for everyone on board (8 percent versus 4 percent). Singles Like to Soak Up the Sun Single people are three times more likely than married people to say sunbathing is their favorite thing to do on their boat (7 percent versus 2 percent). With This Ring... Two percent of boaters say they've lost their wedding ring overboard. Older and Wiser Precision Comes With Age Younger boaters (ages 18-34) are more than twice as likely as older boaters (ages 65 and older) to say they've overflowed the gas tank while refueling their boat (20 percent versus 8 percent). Younger boaters are also more likely than older boaters to say they've hit another boat while docking (4 percent versus 1 percent). Insurance At Sea Fearless Fishermen A third of people with fishing boats (32 percent) say they do not have boat insurance, versus 17 percent of pleasure boaters. The Wrong Policy Can Cost You Big Of boaters who had to replace their boat due to damage or theft, more than a third (37 percent) say their insurance did not adequately cover the cost of a replacement boat. Strange Times at Sea Those Wild and Crazy Guys (Not!) When asked to write in the strangest thing they'd ever done on their boat, one boater said he and a bunch of guys went out on the boat to go fishing and they all fell asleep. So, the fishing trip turned into an off-shore nap time. Birthday Suits Abound Several people said the strangest thing they'd ever done on their boat was to take off all their clothes. One person said he drove his boat naked since he was in the middle of a big lake and there were no other boaters around. |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Chuck Gould wrote: Did You Know? According to a Survey of Boaters by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies... One percent of boaters admit they weren't paying attention when driving their trailer out of the water and they ran over someone's foot. Tey mean the driver wasn't paying attention, and some body thought they could just stand there, chest high to the bow railing of the trailerd boat, then the driver takes off and runs over the foot. I suppose this is obviously a case that it is the drivers fault, because after all, he was...."driving" *shaking head* |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Chuck Gould wrote: Did You Know? According to a Survey of Boaters by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies... etc. etc. Bottom line: 99.9% of boaters lie while answering insurance company surveys! Dale |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Agreed. Anyone that tows and launches a lot is guilty of almost all these
things at one time or another although I don't think I've ever run over a foot! G "FishWisher" wrote in message oups.com... Chuck Gould wrote: Did You Know? According to a Survey of Boaters by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies... etc. etc. Bottom line: 99.9% of boaters lie while answering insurance company surveys! Dale |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Shortwave Sportfishing wrote: Missed it by That Much! Ten percent of boaters say when backing their trailer onto the ramp, they've backed up too far and caused their tire trailers to fall off the end of the ramp. People with fishing boats were more likely to make this mistake than people with pleasure boats (12 percent versus 9 percent, respectively). Now this I don't get. Most ramps end at some point and either at low tide or low lake levels you are going to be off the ramp no matter how much you don't want to do it. It makes more sense if you read it as fall off the "edge" of the ramp. It could be a misprint. I've seen some poured concrete ramps that are a foot or more higher than the beach immediately alongside, and I have seen on one or two occasions situations where somebody gets in trouble by getting one wheell over the side of the ramp. (Once sold a conversion van to a guy, paid for by his insurance company, to replace a conversion van that he wrecked just exactly that way. He went off the side of the ramp, and the tide got to this van before the tow truck did.) |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message oups.com... Shortwave Sportfishing wrote: Missed it by That Much! Ten percent of boaters say when backing their trailer onto the ramp, they've backed up too far and caused their tire trailers to fall off the end of the ramp. People with fishing boats were more likely to make this mistake than people with pleasure boats (12 percent versus 9 percent, respectively). Now this I don't get. Most ramps end at some point and either at low tide or low lake levels you are going to be off the ramp no matter how much you don't want to do it. It makes more sense if you read it as fall off the "edge" of the ramp. It could be a misprint. I've seen some poured concrete ramps that are a foot or more higher than the beach immediately alongside, and I have seen on one or two occasions situations where somebody gets in trouble by getting one wheell over the side of the ramp. (Once sold a conversion van to a guy, paid for by his insurance company, to replace a conversion van that he wrecked just exactly that way. He went off the side of the ramp, and the tide got to this van before the tow truck did.) Nope, Chuck. Lots of ramps are not built long enough that at low tide or low water your trailer wheels go beyond the pavement. And normally there is a hole at the end of the ramp due to water movement from boats powering on to the trailer. Makes it hard to pull the trailer up the ramp as the wheels are sort of hanging in the nether region and the trailer is resting on the ramp on it's frame. |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
Twelve percent of captains admit not being able to restart
their motor because they accidentally left the kill switch on. Or left it in gear. Stormy Weather Twenty-two percent of boaters say they've underestimated the severity of an approaching storm. Ten percent say they've left the dock without first checking the weather forecast. Got our asses tossed all over the Bay on July 4th. 35mph WOT doesn't beat 56 knot gusts from a summer squall line... So I bought a Raymarine SR100 sirius weather rig for our E-80. Hooked it up just this last week. Out on Sunday and it started getting a bit cloudy. Looked at the weather radar and saw a NASTY bit of heavy storm activity headed precisely where we'd be going if we tried leaving. Saw only a bit of rain showing for our anchorage. Stayed put, got about a half-hour's worth of light rain and it completely cleared up. We stayed another two hours to grill dinner. Followed the animated weather radar maps and it showed the storm getting even worse exactly in what would have been our path. Had we only done this on the 4th... What was nice about the Sirius was it showing not just weather radar but also wind directions. While you can get nexrad on your phone, it's low-res, small, doesn't show wind/waves and it ain't waterproof. Same deal with trying to get the same stuff on a laptop with a cellular data hookup. This way it's integrated right into the chartplotter at the helm. Best gadget yet for the boat! -Bill Kearney |
Boaters Fess Up in a Survey
On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:23:37 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote: "Chuck Gould" wrote in message roups.com... Shortwave Sportfishing wrote: Missed it by That Much! Ten percent of boaters say when backing their trailer onto the ramp, they've backed up too far and caused their tire trailers to fall off the end of the ramp. People with fishing boats were more likely to make this mistake than people with pleasure boats (12 percent versus 9 percent, respectively). Now this I don't get. Most ramps end at some point and either at low tide or low lake levels you are going to be off the ramp no matter how much you don't want to do it. It makes more sense if you read it as fall off the "edge" of the ramp. It could be a misprint. I've seen some poured concrete ramps that are a foot or more higher than the beach immediately alongside, and I have seen on one or two occasions situations where somebody gets in trouble by getting one wheell over the side of the ramp. (Once sold a conversion van to a guy, paid for by his insurance company, to replace a conversion van that he wrecked just exactly that way. He went off the side of the ramp, and the tide got to this van before the tow truck did.) Nope, Chuck. Lots of ramps are not built long enough that at low tide or low water your trailer wheels go beyond the pavement. And normally there is a hole at the end of the ramp due to water movement from boats powering on to the trailer. Makes it hard to pull the trailer up the ramp as the wheels are sort of hanging in the nether region and the trailer is resting on the ramp on it's frame. Thus started the downfall of my clutch! -- ****************************************** ***** Hope your day is great! ***** ****************************************** John |
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